In clinical setting, treatment-refractoriness, medication induced tardive dyskinesia and amenorrhea in chronic schizophrenia are frequently problematic. However, there are few guideline solving these problem available to clinicians. The goal of this study was collecting clinical data on clinical effeciveness and predictors of response of switching to olanzapine. We attempted to switch to olanzapine from risperidone and clozapine in chronic 31(risperidone 17, clozapine 14) schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder patients suffering from sustained symptoms, weekly blood monitoring, medication induced tardive dyskinesia and amenorrhea. Previous antipsychotics dosage was gradually decreased for 2 or 3 weeks, at the same time olanzapine dosage was gradually increased. At baseline, after 1 week, after 2 weeks and after 4 weeks we checked Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impression Scale, Sympson-Angus Rating Scale, Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale and Followed up after 12 months. Successful switch after 4 weeks was achieved in 25 patients(clozapine 9(64.2%), risperidone 16(94.1%). Overall, mean BPRS and CGI scores increased significantly. Successful maintenance after 12 months was achieved in 17 patients(clozapine 5(35.7%), risperidone 2(70.5%). Overall, mean BPRS and CGI scores increased significantly too. Switching to olanzapine from other atypical antipsychotics is recommendable in chronic schizophrenia with treatment refreactoriness and drug induced side effect.
Amenorrhea ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Clozapine* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Movement Disorders ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Psychotic Disorders ; Risperidone* ; Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVES: Delirium is a disorder defined as a sudden disturbance in thinking, speaking, acting and sleep pattern due to altered level of consciousness and cognitive function. The objective of this study is to analyze characteristics and therapeutic methods of the delirious patients during the recent 5 years, and provide basic data for further studies and investigation regarding delirium in the occurrence and treatment. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 475 patients who were consulted for delirium in Kyunghee University Medical Center from January 2007 to December 2011. RESULTS: During the 5 years, among the 475 patients who were diagnosed as delirium, men were more common(61.7%). The most commonly consulted reason and cause were sleep disturbance(80.8%) and post-operational delirium(30.9%), respectively. The medication prescription percentage was 76.6% and was significantly increased year after year. Ratio of using antipsychotics were 76.4% among prescribed medication and the most frequently prescribed antipsychotic drug was quetiapine(46.8%). Other specialists commonly misdiagnosed delirium when the patient was previously diagnosed as dementia(6.8%). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, post-operational delirium was the most commonly referred reason and the percentage of medication prescription tended to increase. Patients with history of dementia were more easily misdiagnosed as diseases other than delirium. Our study suggests that we should evaluate symptoms, causes, reasons of consultation, management tendency of delirium. We should also closely observe changes in sleep patterns and establish the prevention strategies for post-operational delirium and therapeutic bases for pharmacotherapy.
Academic Medical Centers ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Consciousness Disorders ; Delirium ; Dementia ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Prescriptions ; Retrospective Studies ; Specialization ; Thinking

The abnormalities in Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis are associated with many psychiatric symptoms including depression. We present a report of a 71 year old man who was admitted to the psychiatric department presenting symptoms of headache, avolition, loss of energy, psychomotor retardation, poor appetite, insomnia, anxiety resulting from adrenal insufficiency and hypopituitarism. Hypothyroidism and electrolyte disturbance were managed and headache, insomnia, anxiety, GI symptoms were improved. But he remained in anergic state. After discharge, he was readmitted to infection department with high fever and drowsy mentality. Adrenal insufficiency was recognized and he was treated with corticosteroid replacement therapy. Finally his diagnosis was made as panhypopituitarism and overall symptoms were resolved. In this case, we showed how the atypical symptoms resulting from hypopituitarism develop and progress. Hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, and growth hormone deficiency resulting secondarily from panhypopituitarism were associated with various nonspecific symptoms such as loss of energy, fatigue, insomnia, weight loss, decreased appetite etc. In clinical situation, differential diagnosis with depression is needed when clinicians were met a patient with these nonspecific symptoms. It is important that laboratory tests and differential diagnosis with endocrine diseases should be conducted, especially in geriatric patients with nonspecific symptoms like anergia, fatigue, poor appetite and so on.
Adrenal Insufficiency ; Anxiety ; Appetite ; Axis ; Depression ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Endocrine System Diseases ; Fatigue ; Fever ; Growth Hormone ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypopituitarism ; Hypothyroidism ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Weight Loss

Recently, the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association began trying to revise the name "Department of Psychiatry" to a more user-friendly name, from possibilities including "Department of Mental Health Medicine" and "Department of Mental Health Promotion," in the hope of increasing its public accessibility and providing more comprehensive public services. There is an ever-increasing need to extend mental health services, via a more active promotion of positive mental health, and to move toward preventive strategies rather than confining mental health service efforts to the traditional treatment of mental illnesses. However, much work is needed to define the construct of "mental health" and to detail ways of promoting it. Defining how psychiatrists can, from an organizational or an individual perspective, practice medicine that promotes mental health, is an urgent issue. In this study, we review the determinants of mental health and the historical development of mental health promotion paradigms. We also attempt to provide the current evidence-based approaches, including the cost-effectiveness of interventions, as they apply to mental health promotion concepts and principles.
Health Promotion ; Mental Health ; Mental Health Services ; Psychiatry ; Social Work

Growing body of evidence has suggested that bipolar disorder in the elderly is important issue of mental health care. While older bipolar patients show different clinical features and response to treatment compared to younger patients, there are few studies focused on the older bipolar patients. Authors reviewed clinical features and treatment issues for bipolar disorder in the elderly.
Aged ; Bipolar Disorder ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Mood Disorders

BACKGROUND: Dopamine receptors have been regarded as a strong candidate involved in etiology of schizophrenia and a target for various antipsychotic drugs. The purpose of our study was to investigate whether dopamine D1 receptor(DRD1) gene polymorphisms would predict the treatment response to antipsychotics in schizophrenia. METHOD: One hundred thirty-four schizophrenic patients, who met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia were entered into a 48-week study. The psychopathology of the patients was assessed at baseline, 12th, 24th, 48th weeks of treatment by PANSS. Responders were defined by a 20% of the reduction in total PAnSS score at end point. The genomic DNA fragment corresponding to nucleotides of dopamine D1 receptor gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction(PCR). RESULT: Neither allelic frequencies nor genotypes for dopamine D1 receptor differed significantly between responders and non-responders. Also, there was no difference of changes of PANSS scores among three genotype groups of the dopamine D1 receptor. CONCLUSION: Allelic variation in the dopamine D1 gene is not associated with individual differences in antipsychotic response.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; DNA ; Dopamine* ; Genotype* ; Humans ; Individuality ; Nucleotides ; Psychopathology ; Receptors, Dopamine ; Receptors, Dopamine D1* ; Schizophrenia

Wilms' tumor is malignant renal tumor, originated from undifferentiated mesonephric blastema. Adult Wilms' tumor, unlike that of childhood, is a rare disease and a total of l67 cases have been reported in the world medical literature until 1980. Diagnosis of adut Wilms` tumor is very difficult preoperatively and the pathologic hallmark is the presence of abortive or embryonal glomerulotubular structure with an immature spindle cell stroma. The therapeutic guidelines and surgical principles that govern childhood Wilms' tumor should be applied to adult Wilms' tumor. We reported a case of Wilms' tumor developed in 34 year-old male patient complaining of right flank pain with gross hematuria for 2 months.
Adult* ; Diagnosis ; Flank Pain ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Male ; Rare Diseases ; Wilms Tumor*

Vasectomy is one of the most common forms of male contraception throughout the world. However, more vasectomy reversals are sought each year because of the increasing number of second marriages and other causes. Before recommending vasectomy, urologists may wish to resolve in their own mind the conflict between reports that maintain the testis is harmed by vasectomy and those that slate is not. We studied a group of patients undergoing vasectomy reversal to determine whether histopathologic change on light and electron microscopy would be detected. Only one testis specimen from post-vasectomy patients showed an abnormality correlated with spermatogenesis and five cases showed mild focal interstitial fibrosis without abnormality of spermatogenesis on light and electron microscopy. We found that vasectomy has some influence to the spermatogenesis and pathologic change.
Contraception ; Fibrosis ; Humans* ; Marriage ; Microscopy, Electron ; Spermatogenesis ; Testis* ; Vasectomy* ; Vasovasostomy

Reports of systemic candidiasis in neonates have been noted with major advances in neonatal care permitting the frequent survival of low birth weight infants. We experienced 2 cases of systemic candidiasis associated with skin involvement in very low birth weight infants. One case presented with abdominal distension and an erythematous maculopapular eruption on trunk, buttock, and lower extremities. Culture of peritoneal fluid grew Candida of albicans. In another case, a diffuse erythematous patch was noted on the back and buttock. Culture of blood sample grew Candida of albicans. Despite the treatment with intravenous fluconazole, clinical status of the patients continued to remain unstable, and they died.
Ascitic Fluid ; Buttocks ; Candida ; Candidiasis* ; Fluconazole ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight* ; Lower Extremity ; Skin

Stamey endoscopic suspension of bladder neck is a reliable technique among various surgical techniques with high success rate and little morbidity. We treated 8 patients complaining of urinary incontinence with Stamey operation from February 1988 to May 1990 and Follow-up for over 6 months. The results as follows; 1. Patients varied in age from 31 to 63 (mean;45) years. All patients were multiparous average 2.87 (2-4) times of previous deliveries 2. All patients showed frequency and nocturia. Severities of incontinence were Grade I in2 patients, Grade II in 5, Grade III in 1 3. No significant changes were identified between preoperative and postoperative urethral pressure profiles. 4. On preoperative lateral cystourethrograms, bladder base was descended about -2.10+-0.74cm from SCIPP line and elevated about +1.2 cm+/-0.49 cm from SCIPP line on postoperative lateral cystourethrograms. 5. Incontinence was disappeared in 7 patients, but 1 patients was recurred due to rupture of suture material during lifting heavy material.
Female* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lifting ; Neck ; Nocturia ; Rupture ; Sutures ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Incontinence*